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The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Act 2024 received Royal assent on 25 March 2024. The Act enables New Zealand to implement its obligations under the FTA and is necessary to bring the FTA into force. The Act will commence on the same date that the NZ-EU FTA enters into force.
Statements
- NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force, March 2024(external link)
- Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA, March 2024(external link)
- Step Closer for European Union Free Trade Agreement, January 2024(external link)
- EU FTA to increase NZ exports to the EU by $1.8 billion a year(external link)
- New Zealand secures major free trade deal with European Union(external link)
- Joint Statement, September 2015(external link)
- EU Trade Strategy, September 2015(external link)
- ECIPE Policy Brief No. 7/2015(external link)
- Brussels Report: “The European Union: Its Economic Significance and the Case for an FTA”, August 2014 [PDF, 1.4 MB](external link)
- New Zealand Europe Business Council (NZEBC) position on FTA negotiations between European Union and New Zealand, August 2015(external link)
Reports and information prior to entry into force
- NZ-EU FTA Benefits for New Zealand [PDF 2.9 MB]
- NZ-EU FTA Steps to Entry Into Force [PDF 155 KB]
- NZ-EU FTA National Interest Analysis [PDF 4.4 MB]
- NZ-EU FTA Tariff Savings for New Zealand Exporters [PDF 92 KB]
- NZ-EU FTA Key Outcomes [PDF 542 KB]
- NZ-EU FTA Highlights [PDF 191 KB]
- NZ-EU FTA Benefits for Māori [PDF 182 KB]
- NZ-EU FTA Final Report Economic Modelling [PDF 631 KB]
- NZ-EU FTA Modelling of Copyright Extension Costs [PDF 494 KB]
- NZ-EU FTA Modelling of GI costs [PDF 685 KB]
In 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade together with Te Puni Kōkiri commissioned BERL to put together a report on Māori interests in the NZ-EU FTA in order to better understand the priorities and challenges for Māori exporters in accessing the EU market.
In March 2017 New Zealand and the European Union agreed the broad scope of negotiations. See more information in the document below.
Timeline of negotiations
- June 2018: Negotiations formally launched
- July 2018: First round of negotiations, Brussels
- October 2018: Second round of negotiations, Wellington
- February 2019: Third round of negotiations, Brussels
- May 2019: Fourth round of negotiations, Wellington
- July 2019: Fifth round of negotiations, Brussels
- December 2019: Sixth round of negotiations, Wellington
- March-April 2020: Seventh round of negotiations (conducted virtually)
- June 2020: Eighth round of negotiations (conducted virtually)
- November 2020: Ninth round of negotiations (conducted virtually)
- March 2021: Tenth round of negotiations (conducted virtually)
- June-July 2021: Eleventh round of negotiations (conducted virtually)
- March 2022: Twelfth round of negotiations (conducted virtually)
Negotiating rounds
OIAs
We have released under the Official Information Act (OIA) a number of text proposals tabled by New Zealand during the EU-New Zealand free trade agreement (NZ-EU FTA) negotiations.
OIA released New Zealand text proposals in NZ-EU FTA.
These documents are:
- Good Regulatory Practice and Regulatory Cooperation;
- Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures;
- Treaty of Waitangi exception; and
- Competition and Consumer Protection.
Please note that the Competition and Consumer Protection text contains comments on a previously agreed EU text (which was part of its final agreement with Chile). New Zealand's initial negotiating proposal was the text set out in black and red only.
The NZ-EU FTA Subsidies negotiating text was withheld under section 9(2)(j) of the Official Information Act 1982(external link), to avoid prejudice to other negotiations. We will keep the question of its public release under review.
In other chapter areas, negotiations were based on texts tabled by the EU. Initial negotiating texts can be viewed on the EU Commission's website(external link).